MARRY FOR LOVE AND WORK FOR SILLER."
When I and my Jenny thegither were tied,
We had but sma' share o' the world between us;
Yet lo'ed ither weel, and had youth on our side,
And strength and guid health were abundantly gi'en us;
I warsled and toiled through the fair and the foul,
And she was right carfu' o' what I brought till her,
For aye we had mind o' the canny auld rule,
Just "marry for love, and work for siller,"
Our bairns they cam' thick--we were thankfu' for that,
For the bit and the brattie cam' aye alang wi' them;
Our pan we exchanged for a guid muckle pat,
And somehow or ither, we aye had to gi'e them.
Our laddies grew up, and they wrought wi' mysel,
Ilk ane gat as buirdly and stout as a miller,
Our lasses they keepet us trig aye, and hale,
And now can count a bit trifle o' siller.
But I and my Jenny are baith wearin' down,
And our lads and our lassies hae a' gotten married;
Yet see, we can rank wi' the best i' the town,
Though our noddles were never to paughtily carried.
And mark me--I've now got a braw cockit hat,
And in our civic building am reckon'd a pillar;
Is na that a bit honour for ane to get at,
Wha married for love, and wha wrought for siller?
———
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse